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(January 31, 2007 – Lawrence, KS) A University of Kansas journalism student has placed first in the In-Depth Writing category of the 47th annual William Randolph Hearst Journalism Awards Program, often referred to as the college Pulitzers. This is the second year in a row that a KU journalism student has placed first in this category.
Frank Tankard, a senior from Overland Park, won for his story, “Built for Disaster,” which was published in The University Daily Kansan newspaper on the one-year anniversary of the Boardwalk Apartments fire. His story told how loopholes in the city fire codes still allow many other apartment buildings to have the same safety problems as Boardwalk, where residents of upper floors were quickly trapped by the fast-burning fire.
The top 20 winners in college In-Depth writing were announced Monday. More than 100 undergraduate accredited journalism programs in colleges and universities across the nation are eligible to participate in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program. There were 101 students from 59 universities and colleges participating in the program's In-Depth Writing Competition.
Tankard will receive a $2,000 scholarship for his article and will have the opportunity to compete in the Hearst National Writing Championship in San Francisco next June. The KU School of Journalism will receive a matching grant, as do the journalism departments of all scholarship winners.
Schools also compete for national honors and cash awards in the Intercollegiate Writing Competition by accumulating points based on how their students perform in six writing contests. Kansas, which finished third in last year’s competition, is ranked eighth after the first three writing competitions this year.
Ted Frederickson, a journalism professor who teaches the class, praised Tankard’s story as “a shining example of why good journalism can be both the first rough draft of history and a helpful guide for the future.”
“This was supposed to be an anniversary story, but Frank looked to the future by pointing out how city codes could allow this sad history to repeat itself,” said Frederickson.
Tankard, who will graduate in June, has worked on The University Daily Kansan’s staff for five semesters, as a sports reporter, news reporter, campus editor, copy editor, opinion editor and Jayplay reporter. He also advised last semester’s Kansan reporting class. He completed a summer reporting internship with The Kansas City Star and works as a reporter for Lawrence.com and as a weekend reporter for The Star. He is a Walter Ewert Award recipient, Kansas City Press Club scholarship recipient, University Scholar and Summerfield Scholar.
Tankard is a graduate of Shawnee Mission South High School, and is the son of Timothy and Valerie Tankard.
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program is conducted under the auspices of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, and fully funded and administered by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. It consists of six monthly writing competitions, three photojournalism competitions and four broadcast news competitions, with Championship finals in all divisions.
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